Lawyering everything (final exam) Flashcards
what do lawyers actually do?
questioning and interviewing
fact finding
providing advice
negotiation skills
practical judgement
listening
analysis and reasoning
communication
writing
researching
persuasion
building client relationship
what is the most common complaint regarding lawyers?
failure to communicate
model rule 4-1.4
A lawyer shall: (1) keep client reasonably informed about the status of the matter, (2) promptly comply with reasonable requests for information, and (3) consult with client about any relevant limitation on the lawyer’s conduct when the lawyer knows the client expects assistance not permitted by the rules of professional conduct or other law
(must keep your client reasonably informed about their case)
what are the different kinds of interviews lawyers conduct?
client interviews
witness interviews
depositions - formal testimony of a witness and/or party to the case and/or expert witness taken on the record. attorneys asking questions of despondent who swears under oath to tell the truth. admissible in court
how do attorneys use facts?
fact analysis and persuasion
organize facts and create a story
themes that make for a convincing argument - humor, tragedy, strong justification, strong factual support, strong protagonist and antagonist, strong theme
what is the MRCP preamble?
a lawyer has a special responsibility for the quality of justice
what is justice?
the ethical, philosophical idea that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law and by arbiters of the law, that laws are to ensure that no harm befalls another, and that, where harm is alleged, a remedial action is taken, both the accuser and the accused receive a morally right consequence merited by their actions
why is good judgement important?
improve a situation and/or prevent it from getting worse
what to not do or say and knowing what to do or say
identify complexities or situations
ability to read between the lines and determine the right course of action
what is integrity?
honesty, doing what you say you will do, responsibility, inner strength, humility
model rule 3.3
a lawyer shall not knowingly: (1) make a false statement of fact or law to the tribunal or fail to correct a false statement of material fact or law previously made to the tribunal by the lawyer; (3) offer evidence that the lawyer knows to be false
(don’t misrepresent fact to the tribunal and if you do, make sure you correct it)
what is the traditional lawyering approach?
CULT PITA
corporate/experienced
unrealistic expectations (pre-determined framework)
legal solutions
top down
passive client
influence client’s decisions
technical jargon
authoritarian
+ desk, diploma, casebooks, awards
what must a client decide?
when to settle
when to testify
when to plead guilty
whether they will waive a jury trial
what can an attorney decide?
technical, legal matters
where/when to sue
what legal theory to sue under
what arguments/defenses to use
what is participatory lawyering?
if dad’s reading this I never killed anyone
interest identification
client makes decisions
relationship building (rapport)
team oriented
informed client
non-legal solutions
client knows the nuances of their case best
active client
what do clients like in a lawyer?
good listener
good and frequent communication
perceived competence
high-quality work
efficient
winning
a zealous advocate
good judgement
inspires confidence
what do clients dislike in a lawyer?
overpromises
bad listener
disrespectful
disorganized
does not care about client
arrogant and short tempered
what is convergent thinking?
narrows the inquiry to find a single right answer
what is divergent thinking?
broadening the inquiry by thinking in several different directions at once to find more answers, hypothesis, or strategies
what are some active listening techniques?
prepare to emotionally listen
use non-verbal language
interrupt only when necessary
be responsive to the content of of the conversation
listen with intent to understand, not to formulate what you will say next
do not rush to fix the problem
“learning stance”
listening to what is not said
be ok with silence
what are some kinds of questions you can ask?
open ended questions
narrow questions
leading and non-leading questions
silence
keep pace slow
probing questions
why is multicultural lawyering important?
right course of action, in your own self interest, better understanding of the world around you
what are some factors that affect observation?
length of time since exposure
whether it stood our or blended into the background
where they distracted
what were they doing at the time
whether they were a careful observer
whether they were under stress
what are cognitive interviewing strategies?
reinstate context
tell everything
recall the event in different orders focusing on different things
change perspectives
what are some interview inhibitors?
sensitive and embarrassing topics
lawyer not listening or interrupting
age and status of client
client doesn’t want to tell you something that might hurt their case
lawyer’s demeanor
model rule 1.2
a lawyer may take such action on behalf of the client and is impliedly authorized to carry out the representation. a lawyer shall abide by a client’s decision whether to settle a matter
(don’t do anything without the authorization of your client)
what are some interview facilitators?
emotional intelligence - friendly and kind
confidentiality
prepared
organization and setting of physical environment
notetaking
what is the general organization of client interview?
preparation
opening/introduction (rapport)
information gathering stage
probing stage
review stage
goal identification stage
preliminary strategy
closing (draft retainer agreement, what do do/not do)
what is discovery?
the phase in litigation in which each side discovers facts about the opposing part; governed by federal/state rules and the local rules that apply
how to respond to opponent’s facts?
identify the facts/witnesses/evidence your opponent will likely use
if there are things you cannot discover, think through what they might do and plan how you will combat those areas
identify the areas in which you and your opponent conflict (consider significance)
put yourself in your opponent’s position
consider how you will counter these issues and plan for every outcome
how to attack your enemy’s sources of fact?
evaluate credibility of documents, witnesses, evidence
identify the enemy’s circumstantial evidence to assess strength of the inferences that must be drawn
identify and counter the enemy’s contextual facts